Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

If you’re craving comfort food, you’ll love this time saving instant pot chicken pot pie recipe! Pressure cooking the filling is quick and easy, and you don’t have to sacrifice the rich and creamy texture or the golden brown and buttery pastry!

Is there a more hearty and decadent meal than a pot pie? I mean, it’s a savory pie that you can eat for dinner! What’s better than that!?

The filling is thick and creamy and packed with meat and veggies, and it's all topped with a flaky, buttery crust. Pot pies are definitely in my top five of cozy, comforting meals!

I’ll admit, however, that I don’t make them as often as I should. They’re usually time consuming, and I’m all about making things quick and easy. 

That’s why we love this leftover turkey pot pie with premade crust too! It’s ready in just 45 minutes and it’s a great way to repurpose leftover holiday turkey.

But, what do you do when you don’t have leftover turkey? You make this electric pressure cooker chicken pot pie recipe! It’s an awesome dump and start recipe that takes less than an hour from start to finish.

Why this instant pot chicken pot pie recipe works

• Pressure cooking the filling saves so much time and it doesn’t sacrifice any of the flavor or texture!
• Making your roux separately and adding it to the filling after it cooks means you still get a creamy filling without the risk of burning it in the Instant Pot.
• Homemade pie crust can be time consuming to make. That’s why this recipe calls for store-bought puff pastry! You still get a golden brown and flaky topping without all the effort, just like this ham and cheese puff pastry.

Ingredients

The full list of ingredients and quantities to make this recipe can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

You’ll need 2 skinless chicken thighs for this recipe, cut into 1-inch pieces. Cutting the chicken into small and even pieces is key for cooking the filling quickly.

The chicken and veggies pressure cook in chicken broth. I like to use low sodium or homemade chicken broth like this slow cooker chicken stock or instant pot chicken bone broth in order to control the amount of salt in the pot pie filling. 

To make the roux, you’ll need equal parts butter and flour. We’ll be making a lighter roux that will help thicken the pie filling. Here are some tips on how to make a roux. 

To top it all off, you need a sheet of puff pastry. While you can make your own, I always use store-bought. For the best flavor and flaky texture, just make sure you’re using an all butter puff pastry.

Variations and substitutions

• Add in other root vegetables you like in place of the carrots and potatoes. You can substitute sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, celery, fennel, etc. I would not substitute high water content vegetables like zucchini and mushrooms as your filling can become watery.
• Add an extra pinch of paprika or some cayenne pepper for additional heat.
• Substitute rosemary for the thyme.
• For ultra creamy filling, you can substitute half and half for the whole milk. If it's too thick, just add some additional milk to thin it out.
• Use canned biscuit dough or even pie crust instead of the puff pastry. Bake biscuits on top until golden brown.
• Put in a couple tablespoons of this panang curry paste or any other curry paste you like to give it an Asian flair.
• Substitute chicken breast for the chicken thighs. Note the chicken won't be as juicy if you do this.

Step by step instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the chicken, stock, potatoes, onions, carrots and seasoning in the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Natural release for 5 minutes, then use the quick pressure release to release the remaining pressure.

2. Heat the butter and flour for the roux in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Turn the Instant Pot to the sauté setting (low if your Instant Pot allows it). Heat the roux over medium heat and SLOWLY whisk in the milk, whisking constantly until a paste forms.

4. Stir the paste into the chicken mixture, add the frozen peas, and bring to a simmer until thickened slightly (should have a stew texture). Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.

5. Pour the mixture into an ovenproof baking dish.

6. Place the puff pastry sheet over top of the baking dish and seal around the edges. Cut 3 slits in the top. Bake for 12-18 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden brown. Serve hot. 

I love this easy chicken pot pie recipe served with our favorite cheesy garlic roasted asparagus, honey balsamic brussels sprouts, or this instant pot steamed broccoli.

Expert tips to make instant pot chicken pot pie

1. Make sure your chicken is cut into 1-inch pieces. If the pieces are larger, the chicken will take longer to cook and the veggies may get too soft.
2. Don’t chop your potato into really small pieces as it will just get mushy.
3. When making the roux, make sure you stir it constantly so it doesn’t burn and slowly whisk in the milk.
4. Wait for the filling to pressure cook before adding the roux mixture. If you pressure cook it with the filling, it may burn and could prevent pressure from building in the Instant Pot. 
5. Once you have the puff pastry arranged on top of the pie, make sure you put a few slits in the top so the pie can breathe.
6. Instead of one large pie, you can make a few mini or individual sized pies.
7. When releasing the pressure, make sure you naturally release it for 5 minutes. The filling keeps cooking during this time.
8. While the cooking time for the filling is just 4 minutes in the Instant Pot, you’ll also need to factor in time for pressure to build and release.

Common questions

Other Instant Pot recipes for comfort food

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